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Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Shin Hae-cheol's Quotes

Shin Hae-cheol was perhaps the freest talker in all of K-pop history. His fame was built on his ability to speak critically and incisively, as much as it was built on his innovative music. Here is a selection of his quotes that showed the manner of Shin Hae-cheol's speech.

"The world will self-destruct if young people were never negative or cynical. The world needs the younger generation to look down on the older generation."

"It's easy to think that achieving your dreams is the be-all, end-all. But I hope everyone remembers that there are things that you must not lose in the course of achieving your dreams, that the dreams do not necessarily lead to happiness. God does not care what dream you achieve; but he does enormously care whether you are happy."

"I think talking about the society or the politics is all part of music. When you start thinking that politics and society have nothing to do with music, that's when music starts getting strange."

"Some of the music by Rain and DBSK received a rating that says it is harmful for the youth. But right now, what's happening at the National Assembly is hardly instructive for the youth. The National Assembly should be designated as a harmful location for the youth; it should be rated R, and should not be shown on television, including the news, to protect the children."

(To his wife) "Before I was married, I had such strong suicidal tendencies that I received therapy for it. Since we had children, I was naturally cured because I was so happy. Even in the next life, I want to be your husband. In the next life, let me be your son, your mother, your brother, your dog--anything to keep us tied."

"We should not take revenge. We may not be able to forgive. In between those two, we can reconcile."

"Not being embarrassed that you're worried, taking anxiety as a natural part of life--that, I think, is the first step toward resolving that anxiety. It's not as if your life gets truly better if that anxiety goes away. . . . But the worst thing is to lie to yourself, that you're not worried."

"There is a lot of criticism toward the young generation, about how they are not willing to work hard. But there is a difference between working in a situation in which one can dream, and working in a situation in which one cannot see anything. Labor without future is not the answer. The young people are standing in darkness; they cannot tell if a cliff is just a foot away. It's not the case that they do not move because they are too tired; they cannot move because they cannot see ahead."

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

I hate to be one of those pedantic nit-pickers of grammar at a time like this but "freest talker"? How about "Shin Hae-Cheol was the most outspoken person in K-pop."

All I could find were news surrounding his death. Many K-pop fans got a clue because only because they saw pictures of PSY crying at his funeral (PSY cried at his funeral - so he must have been important). I was searching high and low for articles that discussed the man, his life, career, and why he mattered - could not find any, your blog post is the only one. Salut.

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About TK

The Korean is a Korean American living in Washington D.C. / Northern Virginia. He lived in Seoul until he was 16, then moved to Los Angeles area. The Korean refers to himself in the third person because he thinks it sounds cool.